Never has there seemed to be
such a hot topic as this since the world has become "more aware"
of Muslims. And out of this population, the practicing Muslima (woman who is of
Islamic faith)...stands out more than anyone else I know.

I wonder if the average world
citizens knows that even Christian women wore the veil and even pre-dating
Christianity? The first recorded instance of veiling for women is recorded in an
Assyrian legal
text from the 13th century BC which restricted its use to noble women and
forbade prostitutes and common women from adopting it. Greek texts have also
spoken of veiling and seclusion of women being practiced among the
Persian elite
and statues from
Persepolis
depict women both veiled and unveiled, and it seems to be regarded as an
attribute of higher status. For me, veiled women have this ethereal beauty about
them. A dignity found in the simplicity of the garment.

Masveh (Exodus
34:33, 35), the veil on the face of
Moses. This
verse should be read, "And when Moses had done speaking with them, he put a veil
on his face," as in the Revised Version. When Moses spoke to them he was without
the veil; only when he ceased speaking he put on the veil (comp. 2 Cor. 3:13,
etc.).

Paroheth (Ex. 26:31-35), the
veil of the
tabernacle and
the
temple, which
hung between the holy place and the most holy (2 Chr. 3:14). In the temple a
partition wall separated these two places. In it were two folding-doors, which
are supposed to have been always open, the entrance being concealed by the veil
which the
high priest
lifted when he entered into the sanctuary on the
day of Atonement.
This veil was rent when
Christ died on
the cross (Matt. 27:51;
Gospel of Mark
15:38;
Luke 23:45).

Traditionally, in Christianity,
women were enjoined to cover their heads in church, just as it was (and still
is) customary for men to remove their hat as a sign of respect. This practice is
based on
1 Corinthians 11:4-16,
where
St. Paul
writes:

Any man who prays or prophesies
with his head covered brings shame upon his head. But any woman who
prays or prophesies with her head unveiled brings shame upon her head,
for it is one and the same thing as if she had had her head shaved. For
if a woman does not have her head veiled, she may as well have her hair cut off.
But if it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved,
then she should wear a veil. A man, on the other hand, should not cover
his head, because he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of
man. For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; nor was man created
for woman, but woman for man; for this reason a woman should have a sign of
authority on her head, because of the angels. Woman is not independent of man or
man of woman in the Lord. For just as woman came from man, so man is born of
woman; but all things are from God. Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a
woman to pray to God with her head unveiled? Does not nature itself teach you
that if a man wears his hair long it is a disgrace to him, whereas if a woman
has long hair it is her glory, because long hair has been given (her) for a
covering? But if anyone is inclined to be argumentative, we do not have such a
custom, nor do the churches of God (New American Bible translation)

I understand that certain
feminists and some Muslim women see the wording of women being the glory of man
as being sexist. I personally feel anyone can take an interpretation of the
Bible or any religious texts to make it suit his or her own
needs. What needs to be done is to take this text into the context
it was intended.

"Why do Muslim
women wear the hijab?"

Canadian Muslimah Sumayyah
Hussein explains: It's not the first time this has happened and it is certainly
an issue that needs to be addressed.

One of the major misconceptions about the hijab (covering of the body except the
face and hands) is that young women are forced to wear it by their parents or by
male family members.

Sumayya Syed, 16, says that
what parents or men want have nothing to do with it. In fact, she astounds
people who ask by saying that every woman should have this form of liberation.
Syed maintains that when a woman is covered, men cannot judge her by her
appearance but are forced to evaluate her by her personality, character, and
morals. "I tell them that the hijab is not a responsibility, it's a right given
to me by my Creator who knows us best. It's a benefit to me, so why not? It's
something every woman should strive to get and should want."

Another viewpoint

According to Akim in his blog
akim.blog-city, he states that: "What we need to note here is the article and
possession, it says the head of every man is Christ, however, NOT
that the head of every woman is man." This honestly makes more sense to a Roman
Catholic like myself.

The woman’s prerogative

"For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.
Now, this fouls up every authority man tries to exercise over the woman because
it says it is the prerogative of the woman to decide on whether to cover her
head or not. There is no duty of man to impose this on the woman.

This is usually read as the man
ought to have power of the head of every woman and force them to appear in a
wifely role or subservient role."

In regards to Islam, I think certain forms of the hijab such as total cover is
more of a tribal customary issue rather than religious. Within Islam women are
not supposed to feel forced to cover their heads, (however in certain Islamic
societies I think there is religious and societal compulsion to do so)...I think
again, it is all in the interpretation:

According
to Dr. Ibrahim B. Syed, Hijab (head cover) for Muslim women is not
mandated in the Qur’an. If it is, it is only the subjective interpretation of an
ayah (verse) on the part of the reader. Hence, many Islamic scholars say that
according to hadith, a woman should cover her whole body, except her face and
hands. The majority of Muslims do not know in which hadith this is mentioned. A
very limited number of Muslims know that this is in Sunan Abu Dawud. The English
translation of Sunan Abu Dawud is in three volumes. Again, nobody ever mentions
that it is in Volume Three. Actually, it is in Volume 3, Book XXVII, Chapter
1535, and Hadith number 4092, titled: "How Much Beauty Can A Woman Display?" For
the benefit of the readers, the exact hadith is reproduced below:

(4092)
'Aisha said: Asthma', daughter of Abu Bakr, entered upon the
Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) wearing thin clothes. The Apostle of
Allah (peace be upon him) turned his attention from her. He said: O Asthma',
when a woman reaches the age of menstruation, it does not suit her that she
displays her parts of the body except this and this, and he pointed to her face
and hands. (Note 3523).

The veil
has many critics and just as many supporters. It can be seen as either a
liberation for the Muslim woman, (not being the object of sexual desire and
basing her self-worth on looks) or as some might see it, as a repression
of her spirit. I believe that it takes a strong woman to veil, especially these
days within a Western country due to generalizations about Muslims. I see
Muslimahs as being in the forefront of their religion because when they practice
hijab they are a visible symbol of their faith. Unlike some Muslim men I have
known over the years, one cannot immediately recognize if they are Muslim unless
they tell you. Unlike a woman....her faith is displayed for all to see...(still under constructive thought)